How to Fake Radiance and Glow

Like many women, I have had a life-long love affair with makeup.

It started young: rifling through my mother’s make up box and smearing a concotion of creams and colours over my young skin.

My mother now fondly recounts what was possibly the most mortifying experience for her as a young mother. I was five years old and we were visiting some very wealthy friends. I had just reached the age where I insisted I be allowed to go to the toilet on my own. I was using the wife’s ensuite (this couple was so wealthy both husband and wife had their own private bathrooms off the bedroom), while my mum waited patiently outside. Suddenly, she heard a smash. Terrified, she burst open the door to find me standing on the stool, in front of the sink and staring with a smile into the mirror. The reflection back showed the turmoil – I was covered with shimmering gold powder, as was the basin and the surrounding floor. And it wasn’t just any shimmering gold powder – this was 24 carat gold powder and it was Chanel. I thought I looked beautiful – and at the very least I would have looked radiant. I just couldn’t understand why I got so chastised.

But don’t let this horror story put you off shimmer and glimmer. Radiance and glow is the most sought after look that many of us try to achieve when applying makeup. In my opinion, there is no better beauty triumph than having skin that looks as though it is bursting with health and vitality. Powders that shimmer and sparkle (like MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish, $46, above) are a sure-fire way to shine, but my favourite way, particularly going into the winter months, is to opt for liquids. Glow potions. Good health in a bottle. Once the skin starts to absorb the liquid, it really makes it look like the glow is coming from within. Very natural, very perfect. 

As you can see, Jennifer Lopez (or J Lo as I still like to call her) gives great glow. 

Products that help me fake the perfect glow are:

Trilogy Rose Hip Oil $20

I know I’m not alone in my love for this product, and if you haven’t already tried it, then you most definitely should! First of all, it is glorious, absolutely glorious, for your skin. Loaded with antioxidants, it nourishes and protects and moisturises, and then repeats. It’s the first thing I pop on my face in the mornings (followed by SPF sunscreen). It is also great to use at night as it offers deep and intense moisturisation.

The second reason I love Rosehip Oil is because in addition to actually making your skin healthy, it also makes it look super healthy and radiant. It gives you a glow like no other I’ve seen before.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm $57

With a subtle sparkle, Clarins Beauty Flash Balm is the next step to radiance! Ultra-moisturing, it contains teeny particles of fine shimmer than give you a what looks like an internal glow. It has a cult-following, so chances are you’ve already been acquainted with CBFB. I like to mix this with my tinted moisturizer or foundation when I’m trying for a very natural glow (which is mainly on weekends). 

MAC Hyper Real Foundation $51

Every makeup artist I know uses MAC products. And the general consensus from the makeup artistry crew is this: MAC does a great shimmer and they know how to create products that make you glow. MAC Hyper Real SPF15 Foundation is a smooth pearlescent liquid foundation formulated with SPF 15 to protect the skin from everyday sun exposure (an added bonus). You can it as a luminious foundation, but I also like to use one a few shades darker than my skin tone (like the one above) as a liquid bronzer.

Benefit High Beam $45; Benefit Moon Beam $45; Benefit Posie Tint $55

Put simply, these products are luminescent complexion enhancers that illuminate and accentuate cheekbones and browbones for a radiant glow (actually I could have put it a lot more simply than that, but oh well).

One of the Benefit makeup artists (in their Paddington store in Sydney) once told me that they like to mix Moonshine with Posy Tint for a fresh flush – they called this the ‘strawberry donut’. I like to call it ‘strawberries and cream’. Seems somehow healthier that way.

To use, just dot and blend onto cheek and brow bones on top of your makeup. Sheen central.

So with some simple trickery, voila, you are sexy and shimmery, just like that. 

P.S. As you can see from the above photo of Miranda Kerr, a golden, deep tan (fake, of course) also works wonders for one's complexion. Oh and super white teeth. Ka-ching.